Laguna Blanca School - 4125 Paloma Drive - Santa Barbara - California - 93110
Volume XX
Friday, November 22, 2013
www.thefourthestate.net
Issue 2
Visit and Interviews Result in New Head of School Appointment By STEPHEN MCCAFFERY On Nov. 12, the Board of Trustees announced that Mr. Rob Hereford will be Laguna Blanca’s new Head of School beginning July 1, 2014. Over 150 candidates for the permanent Head position were screened over the summer with guidance from consultants, Carney Sandoe & Associates. They presented 16 candidates for consideration by the Board Search Committee, who, after extensive interviews, narrowed the search down to two final candidates for the Head of School position: Robert S. Hereford and Randolph H. Watts, Jr. However, during the final processes of the search, Mr. Watts accepted a position at another school. Mr. Hereford, the remaining candidate, graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1989 with a B.A. in History and Philosophy. He then went on to earn his M.A. in History at the University of Georgia in 1992. After serving in several positions, which include History Instructor, Student Council Faculty Advisor, History Department Chair, Honor Council Faculty and Faculty Mentor at Episcopal High School in Bellaire, Texas, Mr. Hereford continued his studies at the Teachers College of Columbia University, earning M.A. in 2002 in Private School Leadership while also becoming a Klingenstein Fellow. Following his time at Episcopal High School, he served as the Upper School Principal at Metairie Park Country Day School, in LA, from 2003-2006 and has served as Upper School Head at Forth Worth Country Day School in Forth Worth, TX since 2006. Additionally, Mr.
Hereford participated in the National Association of Independent Schools/ E.E. Ford Fellowship for Aspiring Head program in 2004-2005 and the William Robertson Coe Fellowship program for history teachers at Stanford University in the summer of 1999. On Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, Mr. Hereford and his wife, Amanda, met faculty, staff, students, parents, alumni and the Board of Trustees for the first time. Mr. Hereford held a presentation open for parents and also met with a group of 10 Middle and Upper School students. Lastly, Mr. Hereford had a meeting with the faculty and staff. “The overwhelming feedback we received mirrored the Search Committee’s belief that, Rob is a ‘genuine’ school leader who believes in a collaborative leadership model. Words like ‘positive,’ ‘approachable’ and ‘articulate’ were used to describe him. His focus on students and his belief in building relationships across the community were highlights of the impression he made,” said Mr. Tom Pickett Chair of the Board of Trustees. “I thought Mr. Hereford was very nice and seemed extremely approachable. I feel he [will] do a great job as Head because of his enthusiasm and excitement for learning,” senior Grace Woolf, the leader of the Student Search Committee, said. “It’s important for students to have a say in hiring a new Head, because it gives us a chance to be engaged in the process, and it makes us feel part of the hiring decision.” Mr. Hereford said, “I can’t imagine a school that could be a better fit for me, Amanda, and our boys.”
PHOTOS: TARA BROUCSQUALT A MEETING OF MINDS: Parents Michael Keane and Curt Pickering along with Head of School Richard Marracino engage in a post-speech chat with author Tim O’Brien in Spaulding Auditorium while junior Mia Chavez and math teacher Isabela Santos wait to have their books signed.
Assembly Program Features Nationally Renowned Author By KELA JOHNSON In the late morning on Oct. 24, Spaulding Auditorium was buzzing with anticipation. Two hundred people, a mix of high school and middle school students, parents, and teachers, filled every available seat, including chairs lined in rows on the stage. All were awaiting the entrance of writer and Vietnam veteran Tim O’Brien, the “major poet of post-Vietnam alienation” and the awardwinning author of eight books – including “The Things They Carried.” “It’s exactly what a serious writer wants,” O’Brien said about the Big Read in his Independent interview with Dr. Charles Donelan, Laguna Blanca’s English instructor. “Not just an internal conversation with yourself but to learn through writing about what other people think.” According to O’Brien, his interest in how others view his work contributed to his success as a writer.
“Part of what can drive people to success is craving the love of a parent,” O’Brien said. “Or the love of humanity in general.” According to O’Brien, “a man is what he yearns for,” and in his opening remarks, he explained why he has always yearned to write. In one very effective moment, he described his childhood struggle to be acknowledged by his alcoholic father. “I can see my dad sitting in my living room . . . he was reading a book. And in his eyes there was a look of happiness and delight and rapture that I never saw in my dad. And I remember . . . when I was eight or nine years old how much I wished I was that book.” O’Brien also described some unexpected effects of his writing, in particular a letter he received after publishing “The Things They Carried”. The letter was from a 26-year-old girl who had been meaning to write him since she was in high school and described
“how she had grown up in the household of a silent father.” After finding a box of Vietnam War relics in the basement, she discovered what caused his silence. “The girl takes AP English, and the book they are assigned to read is ‘The Things They Carried’” O’Brien said. “Her father picked it up and read a dozen pages and that night . . . he began talking.” This letter is a continual reminder of the importance of speaking about his experiences. “I made a vow in Vietnam that I was not going to stay silent,” O’Brien said. O’Brien considers the letter a highlight of his career as a writer, not only because he was able to elicit a response from a reader, but also because he was able to make a positive impact on the life of a veteran. Although conveying his experiences through writing has been a cathartic experience, some
subjects, such as forgiveness and erasure, are still sensitive. When asked if it is possible to forgive without forgetting, he said that going to war is like “being dipped in crank-case oil; it’s inside your stomach and in your bones, and it’s always there.” The atrocities he witnessed make it difficult to forgive the people who committed them. Though it may be easier to substitute a “heroic narrative” for a horrific aspect of reality, Tim O’Brien refuses to forget.
Senior Attends Global Leadership Conference By CATY LAFITTE
PHOTO: CAROLE HARDER
Senior Andrew Vignolo (second from right) standing with other Global Leadership Connection Youth Leaders and a member of the Armed Forces at the Pentagon. Homecoming Photos from the Pep Rally, Jogathon, and Homecoming games. Page 2
An Artist’s Muse Ian Bankhead’s artwork. Page 5 Martin Adame A look into Laguna’s #1 fan. Page 5
Senior Andrew Vignolo was awarded the Male Youth Leader of the Year this past March at the Global Leadership Connection Conference that was held at Westmont College. Andrew, along with fellow Santa Barbara award winners, Bela Lafferty of Dos Pueblos High School, Anastasia Kunz of San Marcos High School and Brock Dickey of Santa Ynez High School, received an all-expense paid trip to the GLC Leadership Experience in Washington, D.C. that took place from Oct. 25 to Oct. 29.
Random Student Profile Carys Davies Page 5
The trip was chaperoned by GLC Executive Director and founder, Carole Harder and her niece, Kim Johnson. Twenty students from Los Angeles; San Diego; St. Louis, Missouri; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Atlanta, Georgia and Topeka, Kansas were also invited to attend the Leadership Experience. On the first day, the group took tours of the Eisenhower Building, the White House, the Holocaust Museum and the Museum of Natural History. Continued on Page 4
All About Sleep Myths about sleep debunked. Pages 8 & 9
School Photo Debate Poll results on recent school photo event. Page 15
CIF Times 4 Varsity teams head into playoffs. Page 10
Celebrating the Holidays Thoughts for those special days in the months ahead. Page 16
Firearms The Justice System offers no closure. Page 6
Ask Emily Words of wisdom on life’s dilemmas. Page 13
Abercrombie Controversy surrounds an exclusionary brand. Page 7
Fall Fashion Trends Check out the newest fall trends. Page 15